Diagnostic equipment and point-of-care tests in Norwegian emergency primary healthcare clinics: a cross-sectional study.
Introduction: In recent years, the increasing availability of instruments and laboratory tests has significantly influenced the diagnostic work in primary healthcare. This study aimed to map the availability of diagnostic equipment and point-of-care tests (POCTs) in Norwegian emergency primary healt...
| Published in: | Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 880 - 890 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Dec2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=189410527&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 189410527 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 02813432 BDB jtl: Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care issn: 02813432 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Dec2025 vid: 43 iid: 4 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania artinfo: ui: 189410527 186033269 189410527 189410527 10.1080/02813432.2025.2519658 189410527 ppf: 880 ppct: 10 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Diagnostic equipment and point-of-care tests in Norwegian emergency primary healthcare clinics: a cross-sectional study. aug: au: Lindberg, Bent Håkan Blinkenberg, Jesper Morken, Tone Allertsen, Merete Rebnord, Ingrid Keilegavlen affil: National Centre for Emergency Primary Health Care, Norce, Bergen, Norway sug: subj: Diagnostic Imaging Equipment and Supplies Point-of-Care Testing Equipment and Supplies Emergency Service Norway Primary Health Care Norway Human Norway Female Male Cross Sectional Studies Pulse Oximeters Electrocardiography Ultrasonography Spirometry Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed Scanners Diagnostic Tests, Routine Equipment and Supplies Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products Glycated Hemoglobin Troponin Chi Square Test T-Tests Data Analysis Software Descriptive Statistics Female Male ab: Introduction: In recent years, the increasing availability of instruments and laboratory tests has significantly influenced the diagnostic work in primary healthcare. This study aimed to map the availability of diagnostic equipment and point-of-care tests (POCTs) in Norwegian emergency primary healthcare clinics and examine the demographic and organisational factors influencing their availability. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilised the National Out-of-Hours Services Registry (NOOHR) survey across all Norwegian emergency primary healthcare clinics in early 2024. Clinic managers provided data on diagnostic equipment and POCTs. Clinics were categorised by population size, hospital proximity, co-location with general practitioner (GP) offices, and total equipment available. Results: All 167 Norwegian emergency primary healthcare clinics responded. The median number of diagnostic equipment and POCTs was 17 (Interquartile range (IQR) 16–20). Clinics with the most equipment were often smaller, co-located with a GP office, and over 40 km from a hospital. Almost all clinics had a repertoire of CRP, urinary dipstick, haemoglobin, glucose, strep A test, SARS-CoV-2 rapid test, urinary HCG test, pulse oximeter, and ECG. Clinics far from hospitals more frequently had tests like D-dimer and troponin. Of the clinics with troponin tests, 69% had a low-sensitive POCT. Conclusion: Norwegian emergency primary healthcare clinics are well equipped, especially if co-located with a GP office or far from a hospital. Further research is needed to enlighten how availability influences use and the possible impact on patient trajectories. Clinic leaders should pave the way for sustainable practices and high-value care when deciding their diagnostic equipment and POCTs repertoire. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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